SURVEY OF PARASITOIDS AND PREDATORS OF TOMATO LEAF MINER, TUTA ABSOLUTA (MEYRICK) (LEPIDOPTERA: GELECHIIDAE) IN EGYPT

M., Eman, Abdelmaksoud M.; A., El-Refai S.; Rashwan, Rania S.A.

doi:10.21608/ajs.2016.14353

SURVEY OF PARASITOIDS AND PREDATORS OF TOMATO LEAF MINER, TUTA ABSOLUTA (MEYRICK) (LEPIDOPTERA: GELECHIIDAE) IN EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Plant Protection Department- Faculty of Agriculture- Ain Shams University- Cairo- Egypt

10.21608/ajs.2016.14353

Abstract

The tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is an invasive pest, that caused a significant damage to the tomato crop in the Middle East area. It infests Solanaceae plants especially tomato, Lycopersicon esculuntum Mill. To find parasitoids and predators for biological control of this pest, samples of tomato leaves infested with T. absoluta were collected from Qualiobya and Giza Governorates. Three genera of hymenopterous parasitoids, Diglyphus sp. (Eulophidae), Elasmus spp. (Elasmidae) and Telenomus sp. (Scelionidae) are the first record in Egypt. The predator bug, Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter (Heteroptera: Miridae) was also recorded. T. absoluta showed two peaks of 30.3 and 25.0 leaf mines/10 leaflets on 7^th and 28^th of May, 2013, respectively. N. tenuis also recorded two peaks of 58.8 and 73.3 nymphs and adults/plant on the same previous dates, respectively. N. tenuis was mass reared to evaluate the predatory efficiency of nymph and adult stages on T. absoluta eggs. The nymph, adult male and female consumed 113.3, 81.5 and 125.3 eggs of T. absoluta, respectively. The 4^th nymphal instar devoured the highest number (30.6 eggs), while the 1^st nymphal instar ate the lowest (7eggs). Therefore, N. tenuis was highly effective in controlling T. absoluta eggs under laboratory conditions.

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